Ever come home to a soaked basement carpet, a warped hardwood floor, or a ceiling stain that wasn’t there yesterday? A single hidden leak behind a wall or under a slab can waste thousands of gallons of water and cost tens of thousands of dollars in repairs before you ever notice it.
That fear is exactly why smart leak detection systems have become one of the most-searched home protection upgrades around, and why you’ve probably run into two names over and over again: Eco LeakSecure and Flo by Moen.
Our licensed plumbing team has installed whole-home leak detection systems for homeowners across Greater Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Southern Ohio, and we get asked to compare these two systems all the time. So here’s our promise: by the end of this article, you’ll know how each one works, what each one costs, and which is the better fit for your home.
Why Smart Leak Detection Matters for Your Home
A leak doesn’t need to be dramatic to be expensive. The average American household wastes about 9,400 gallons of water every year just from leaks it never notices. A dripping faucet here, a running toilet there. Multiply that across the country, and household leaks waste nearly 900 billion gallons annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program.
The real danger isn’t the slow drip, though. It’s what happens when that same undetected leak turns into a burst pipe, and a “silent leak” becomes a full-blown flood. That’s the entire reason products like Eco LeakSecure and Flo by Moen exist: to catch the drip before it becomes a flood, and to shut your water off before you even see the alert on your phone.
What Is Eco LeakSecure and How Does It Work?
Eco LeakSecure is a whole-home leak detection and automatic shut-off system that installs directly on your main water line. At the core of the device is a stainless steel ball valve paired with a proprietary quad-path ultrasonic sensor sensitive enough to detect flow as small as a barely-there faucet drip.
Alongside the flow sensor, Eco LeakSecure monitors:
- Water pressure
- Water temperature
- Humidity, measured near the installed device, as one of several signals that may indicate a developing issue
- Water quality (TDS), so you know what’s actually coming through your pipes
Every night, Eco LeakSecure runs “The Leak Test,” a diagnostic that closes the valve, watches how your plumbing holds pressure, and confirms your system is airtight while you sleep. If something’s off, you’ll know before your morning coffee.
You can set Eco LeakSecure to shut off water automatically in critical situations, or configure it to alert you first and let you decide. That’s an intentional design choice. The goal, per Eco LeakSecure’s own team, is to keep “the homeowner informed, not overridden.”
The app (iOS 14+ and Android 10+) connects over Wi-Fi with Bluetooth backup, works with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Control4, and requires professional installation to activate the one-year limited warranty, extendable to five years through an active service plan.
Our licensed plumbers install Eco LeakSecure throughout Ohio and Kentucky. You can see how the Eco LeakSecure installation process works on our leak detection page.
What Is Flo by Moen and How Does It Work?
Flo by Moen is also an inline smart valve, built by a company most homeowners already know from their faucets and showerheads. Its signature feature is FloSense Technology, which learns your household’s specific water usage patterns over time and uses that data to flag anomalies automatically.
Flo’s other standout capability is microleak detection: it can identify a leak as small as a single drop per minute. It also offers:
- Real-time alerts by app, phone call, and email
- Fixture-level water usage tracking
- Freeze detection
- Compatibility with Alexa, Ring, and Alarm.com
Where Flo differs philosophically from Eco LeakSecure is automation. FloSense is built to shut off water automatically once it recognizes a pattern as abnormal, rather than leaning on you to make the call first. Flo also offers an optional battery backup accessory that keeps leak protection running for up to four hours during a power outage, worth considering if your area loses power often.
Eco LeakSecure vs. Flo by Moen: Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Feature | Eco LeakSecure | Flo by Moen |
Leak detection method | Quad-path ultrasonic flow sensor | Flow + pressure sensor with FloSense ML |
Microleak sensitivity | Detects faucet-drip-level flow | Detects down to 1 drop/minute |
Extra sensors | Pressure, temperature, humidity, water quality (TDS) | Pressure, temperature, freeze detection |
Automatic shut-off | Yes, user-configurable | Yes, pattern-based via FloSense |
Nightly diagnostic | Yes (“The Leak Test”) | Not a standalone nightly feature |
Smart home integration | Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Control4 | Alexa, Ring, Alarm.com |
Battery backup option | Not offered | Available as an add-on |
Manual override | Yes, via screwdriver | Via app/manual valve |
Warranty | 1-year limited; extendable to 5 years with an active service plan | 1-year standard; 3-year FloProtect plan available |
Subscription required | No | No |
The biggest difference is how each system approaches customization and automation. Eco LeakSecure emphasizes user-defined alert and shutoff parameters tailored to the home, while Flo’s FloSense technology emphasizes learning household water-use patterns and identifying anomalies automatically.
How Much Do Eco LeakSecure and Flo by Moen Cost?
Flo by Moen’s device typically costs a little over $600 before installation, with optional add-ons like extra leak detectors, a battery backup kit, and a 3-year FloProtect plan (which adds up to $5,000 in deductible coverage) pushing the total higher.
Eco LeakSecure works differently. It isn’t sold as a retail product you can buy off a shelf or through an online store. It’s available through our company for a promotional price of $1,399+ with installation and more. That means your total investment depends on your home’s plumbing layout, pipe material, and whether any additional fittings are needed.
Professional installation is strongly recommended for both systems and required to activate Eco LeakSecure’s warranty. Flo’s valve ties into your main line after the meter and shutoff valve and needs a dedicated power outlet nearby. A licensed plumber should install either system, since a leak detection system that isn’t installed correctly defeats the entire purpose.
Which Leak Detection System Is Right for You?
Here’s how to match each system to what matters most to you:
If you… | Consider… |
Want customizable, user-defined shutoff parameters | Eco LeakSecure |
Want automatic pattern learning via FloSense | Flo by Moen |
Live somewhere with frequent power outages | Flo by Moen (battery backup available) |
Want humidity and water quality monitoring in addition to flow | Eco LeakSecure |
Already have other Ring or Alarm.com smart home devices | Flo by Moen |
Already use Apple HomeKit or Control4 | Eco LeakSecure |
Want a manufacturer warranty extendable through an optional plan | Eco LeakSecure (5 years with an active service plan) or Flo by Moen (5-year limited warranty at an extra cost) |
Neither of these is the wrong choice — both are legitimate, well-built systems from companies that stand behind their products. The better question is which one matches how you want to manage water safety in your own home.
You Can Decide: Eco LeakSecure or Flo by Moen
If you want a system that leans on machine learning to make the shut-off decision for you, and you like having an optional battery backup for peace of mind during storms, Flo by Moen is a strong, well-established option. If you’d rather have more control over exactly when and how your water shuts off, plus the extra layer of humidity and water-quality monitoring, Eco LeakSecure is built with that flexibility in mind.
Either way, remember what got you researching this in the first place. A leak doesn’t send a warning before it becomes a flood, and the real risk was never picking the “wrong” system. It’s going without one at all.
That’s why we install and stand behind Eco LeakSecure for homeowners across Greater Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Southern Ohio. When something needs adjusting years down the road, you’re calling the same licensed team that installed it, not a call center in another state. And if basement flooding from a failing sump pump is also on your mind, read our guide on How Much Does a Sump Pump Cost? so you can protect your home from both types of water damage.
Still not sure which system fits your home? Schedule a free, no-pressure leak detection consultation with our team, and we’ll walk you through exactly what makes sense for your plumbing.
Does Eco LeakSecure require a monthly subscription?
No. Eco currently offers the core Eco LeakSecure system and app with no monthly fee. An optional service plan, the EcoFi Advantage Membership, is available separately and is what extends the standard one-year warranty to five years.
What happens if my Wi-Fi goes down after installation?
Eco LeakSecure includes a Bluetooth backup, so the app can still reach your valve locally even if your home Wi-Fi drops. Flo by Moen relies on a Wi-Fi connection for real-time alerts, so a lost internet connection means a temporary gap in remote monitoring until it's back online.
Will a leak detection system lower my homeowners insurance?
Some insurance carriers offer discounts for homes with smart leak detection and automatic shut-off installed, though this varies by provider and location. Check with your insurance company directly to see what's available to you.
Do these systems protect against all types of water damage?
No system can prevent every type of water damage. Both Eco LeakSecure and Flo by Moen are designed to catch leaks and abnormal flow within your home's plumbing, but neither can prevent damage from external sources like heavy rain or a failing roof.
Can these systems tell the difference between normal water use and an actual leak?
Both are built with that in mind. Eco LeakSecure lets you customize shutoff parameters so a long shower doesn't get mistaken for a burst pipe, and Flo's FloSense technology learns your household's usage patterns over time to reduce false alarms the longer it runs.
How long does professional installation take?
Installation time depends on your home's plumbing layout and how accessible your main water line is, but most whole-home leak detection installs are completed by a licensed plumber in a single visit.
